Fighting beside you
by CapuceBrise
Summary: Brienne and Jaime meet again in the North. This is the first time they will get to fight beside each other. The obstacles they have to overcome might change their relationship forever. Warning : English is not my mother tongue. Please be kind with me about the spelling, the grammar and the language.
1. The horse riding lesson

" _Again"_ Brienne snapped, crossing her arms on her chest as she watched Pod turning his horse around. Since they had made it back to Winterfell she had concentrated her efforts on readying him for the battles to come. She needed to be sure he would be able to defend the Stark girls in case something bad happened to her.

So here they were : two hours of fighting in the morning, with Arya's assistance, one hour at night, and horse riding practice all afternoon.

Brienne had imagined all sorts of exercises to make him understand how to control the speed of his horse, his direction, but mostly his own balance on the saddle. Her imagination had led to build fences with wooden branches standing on wooden stands with a metal cups that she could move up and down. It was a lot of work but it was helping her coping with idea of what was about to come. An army of dead people. Far from the battles she imagined she would have to fight when she was a child under the sun of Tarth.

Also, keeping busy with her squire's training was keeping her away from the castle... and from that red-haired wilding guy who would not stop giving her strange looks. Every time he did she feigned to ignore him. And every time she was promising herself to beat him down for good with a parring sword if she ever had the opportunity.

She narrowed her eyes to watch as closely as possible her squire make his turn towards the obstacle.

" _Come on Pod. Push him. If you don't_ _give him_ _the speed he needs, he won't be able to jump"_.

Pod pressed his heals against the horse's belly. A little too hard and too late. The big brown horse threw his head upwards, opening his jaw line while increasing the size of his canter steps. The fence was getting dangerously close.

" _No, no, no. PODRICK!"_ Brienne yelled. It was already too late. The horse took his stride too close to the obstacle and made a huge effort to jump. Podrick was already out of his saddle and when the horse hit the ground. He landed on the horse's neck before sliding down on his side.

Podrick left his head up from the snow and he saw his horse galloping away down the hill. And then he saw the hand Brienne was offering to lift him up. Once back on his two feet, he did not dare look into his master's eyes. He already knew what he would find : frustration and disdain.

" _Ok, Pod. I know you are tired. But you've got to get over this. Why do you think I'm making you jump over a fence again and again?"_

" _So that I don't lose control of my horse during_ _b_ _attle"_ Podrick answered, still looking down at his feet.

" _Precisely. I_ _t_ _has to become natural. When you are in battle you wont have time to concentrate or to avoid the obstacles on your way. There are dead bodies on a battlefield. You have to get your horse through them"_ she said.

She put a hand on his shoulder and Pod finally risked looking at her. Her gaze had always been so direct. He admired the strength and the resolve of this woman. She had been pretty harsh with him at first. But now that they had grown accustomed to each other, she was easing up when trying to explain something to him. She was the best teacher he could have hoped for. Podrick trusted her with his life. And he knew she was trying very hard to train him.

" _Come on Podrick. One more good jump and we are going back inside. Go fetch your horse"_ she said.

Without a word, Podrick ran down the hill to look for his horse. He had just disappeared from Brienne's eye sight when she heard his voice.

" _My lady! My lady!"_.

She rolled up her eyes. _"What again? Don't tell me he is not capable of fetching a good nice horse by his own"_ , she thought to herself.

" _What is it now, Pod?"_ she snapped, running down to meet him.

Then she saw it. A group of riders coming their way. And who was that leading them? No, this could not be.

" _Lady Brienne!"_.

Brienne shivered at the sound of the familiar voice. Yes it was him. But he was not wearing the Lannister banner. And obviously this group of riders was not the Lannister forces promised by Queen Cersei.

Jaime Lannister stopped his ride next to her. Brienne swallowed hard. She was out of words.

" _Ser Jaime. I am glad to see you were true to your word"_ she finally said. Her voice was like ice. She never intended to sound so cold. But so far, it was the only way she knew how to hide her feelings.

Brienne had been aware of how she felt towards Jaime for some time now. But she would not dare to think he might feel the same about her. How could such a handsome man be interested in a beast like her?

" _I am glad you noticed"_ Jaime said with a smirk. But he lost his smile pretty quickly and got off his horse to face her.

" _Listen Brienne, you were right. In so many way... you wouldn't even know"_. He paused. Got caught in her direct blue gaze, once again. Jaime had never found her attractive, but somehow her eyes had such a power over him.

" _What happened to your army, Ser Jaime?"_

" _It's a long story. I have a lot to discuss with Jon Snow and the dragon Queen"_.

Jaime was losing his self-assurance in front of her. He had so many things on his heart. But he maintained eye contact with Brienne. He was happy she was the first person he encountered when coming up to Winterfell. Gods know what would have happened with somebody else. He would have been spat at. Called names. _"Kingslayer! Incestuous bastard!"_ he could hear it in his head. In any other circumstance, he would have been ok with it. But now he had important news to carry. And he needed to be heard.

" _Are you going to kiss, or can we get inside? I wouldn't mind waiting outside if it wasn't so damn cold!"_

Both Brienne and Jaime turned their heads, blushing. Bronn was shivering with the cold, but smiling from ear to ear.

" _Follow me"_ she finally said. She took the reins from Podrick's hands and mounted his horse. One look at her squire and he already knew that he would have to go back to the castle on foot. Brienne was hard but fair : had he not fallen, she would have left him the horse and walked beside him.

Brienne was walking her horse silently besides Jaime's. She was fighting the weight that had formed in her chest at the sight of him. She was thinking about the last time she had seen Jaime Lannister. _"Fuck loyalty!"_ The words were out of her mouth before she could realize what it really meant. Everything she had ever stood before. She had seen how shocked he had been. Was it that she dared touch him arm that firmly? Or was it the meaning of what she was implying? And here he was, ready to fight the dead by her side...

She was thrown out of her daydreaming when the side of her horse bumped into Jaime's. Their legs were pressed against each other in the process.

" _I'm sorry"_ she said. _"No harm done"_ , Jaime replied with a smile. He thought it might be best to break the ice before reaching the walls of Winterfell.

" _Brienne, the news I bring from Kingslanding are not really what the King in the North and the Dragon Queen might expect. I've brought as many men as I could, but..."_

Brienne's look was interrogative. Obviously something had turned wrong. No Lannister banners. Just a handful of riders accompanying him... and Jaime Lannister, usually so self-assured, was struggling to find his words. She stayed silent, encouraging him with her eyes to continue.

" _I have left Cersei"_ Jaime said abruptly.

" _Wait. What?"_ Brienne could not believe her ears.

" _She was betraying you. The North. Her word. She never intend to send any forces North to fight. She even sent Euron Greyjoy to get the Golden Company from Essos to fight you"_.

Brienne opened her mouth in surprise. She could see the water forming in his eyes. Jaime had to chose between his sister, his love, and his promise. And he had chosen to keep his word, as he had done to Catelyn Stark and her daughters. Now Brienne was grasping the full meaning of his acts. Did she have any influence on that? _"Fuck loyalty"_ , she thought again.

" _Listen. I trust you more than anyone on this earth. I will need your support in there. They might have me hanged"_.

Brienne nodded. _"Of course. I won't let anyone harm you"_ she said.


	2. The tale of the Shieldmaiden

The Gates opened with a loud creaking noise. Brienne, Jaime and Bronn entered the courtyard under the heaviest silence. Everyone had stopped their occupations to stare at them. A soon as they had dismounted, Jaime saw Lady Sansa coming straight towards them. He noticed how much this young lady had changed over the last few years. He remembered what Brienne had told him. _"In my experience, girls like her don't live very long"_ had he said. _"I don't think you know many girls like her"_ had she retorted. Now he could totally see it.

" _My lady, I hope you will pardon my intrusion"_ Jaime said, slightly bowing his head.

" _You were expected Ser Jaime. With a whole army of men"_ Sansa said coldly.

" _If I may, my Lady, I would like to have a word with your brother about that. I carry important news from Kingslanding"_. Searching for confidence, he threw a quick glance to Brienne.

Sansa nodded and invited them to follow her under the gaze of everyone in the courtyard. Jaime could hear the whispers. _"Kingslayer. Oathbreaker"_. But he could also feel the strength of Brienne walking right behind him. She knew the truth about him, and that was all that mattered.

Getting through the gloomy corridors of the castle, they finally reached the great hall. Jon Snow was sitting at the table next to the young silver-haired Queen and a few others, looking at maps. All them raised their head at the sight of the group coming in. A small figure got out of a chair and came right at Jaime. _"Little brother"_ he thought. But before he could reunite with Tyrion, he caught sight of a face he was not expecting. Brown hair, brown eyes. And a wheelchair. Jaime was grasping for the first time the true meaning of his past sins. Little Bran Stark had lived and grown. And he was here. Jaime froze, staring at the young man.

" _Jaime. At last, you are here"_ Tyrion said.

Jaime managed to compose himself enough to open his mouth and start talking.

" _Your Grace. And your Grace. I have brought as many men as I could"_ Jaime swallowed hard. Despite the cold, he could feel the sweat coming down his neck. _"But the news I bring from Kingslanding might disappoint you"_.

" _What are you saying Lannister? Your sister promised us an army"_ Jon Snow said.

Jaime was trying to find the right words. But before he could speak again, Bran broke the silence.

" _She has betrayed us. She has betrayed you, Ser Jaime. I am sorry for you. I know you loved her"_.

" _I told you we could not trust Lannisters. What have you got to say for yourself, Kingslayer?"_ a voice said from the back of the room. Lord Glover and few of the northern lords were looking at him angrily.

Jaime's whole body was trembling. This was way more than what he was expecting. He felt his strength living his body. But a strong arm caught his elbow from behind. _"Brienne"_ he thought.

" _Why are you here, Jaime Lannister?"_. The words of the Dragon Queen silenced the whispers.

She took a few steps towards him.

" _Why should we trust you. You were the one who killed my father. You tried to kill me on the battle field with a spear"_. Her voice was deep and calm.

Brienne's hand was still under his elbow. Jaime fed on that feeling to gather his mind and body. He answered her with the most direct and resolved look he could pull.

" _I know what I have done in my life. I have_ _committed_ _many sins. But the truth is, nobody here really knows me except from the Lady standing right beside"_ he paused.

Brienne was struck by Jaime's word. She was not expecting the conversation to take this turn.

" _Yes, your Grace, I am the one who killed your father. But did you know his last orders were to burn_ _a_ _whole city with all the innocent people living in it?_ _By killing him I prevented_ _t_ _hat from happening. And y_ _es, I have tried to kill you in the battlefield. But at the time I had no idea of the threat that was upon us all. At the time, you were the threat. I am sure you_ _can_ _understand that"_.

Jaime was catching his breath. The Dragon Queen seemed unmoved.

That's the moment Brienne chose to speak.

" _Your Grace, if I may..."_

Daenerys turned her attention to Brienne. She did not really have a clear idea of who the gigantic woman was. She had just seen her sparring in the courtyard of Winterfell since she had arrived. A lady warrior. What an amazing thing! She had heard the lady of Tarth was fighting to protect the Stark girls, and that she was the most brave and loyal person you could encounter. This was enough for her to listen to that woman with care.

" _When I met Ser Jaime, he was Catelyn Stark's prisoner. She had me take him back to Kingslanding in the hope of getting her daughters back. I thought he was the most detestable man I had met : nothing is worst to me than harming the ones you swore to protect. For weeks we crossed the country together. Every time he could, he tried to insult me or to provoke me to anger. But what he said with his actions told me more about the man than everything that was coming out of his mouth. We were caught by Roose Bolton's men. We were held prisoners together"._

She glanced quickly at Jaime. He was not too happy about what she was about to reveal. They had never spoken of it again together. What they had lived together was passed under a silent understanding. But Jaime knew she had to do everything to earn their trust. For the sake of them all.

" _Your Grace, I am sure you know the fate reserved to high-born maidens caught by men in a time of war..."_ Brienne paused to make sure Daenerys would catch the meaning of this. The young Queen nodded. Yes she knew. Better than anyone.

Brienne spoke louder, addressing to everyone in the room now. _"On the night we were caught, I was to be rapped. Ser Jaime talked those men out of it. He didn't know me, he didn't owe m_ _e_ _anything. He had no reason to protect me from anyone or to do anything for me. And he paid the price for_ _this_ _. With his sword hand"._

The room was silent. Nobody knew the true story of Jaime's maiming. All people could see so far was that, as the rich bastard he was, he had a golden hand made to replace it.

Daenerys moved her gazed to Jaime, but Jaime was focused on his feet.

" _That is not the_ _whole_ _story, your Grace. Once we were at Harrenhal and Ser Jaime_ _had been taken care of_ _, he made a deal with Roose Bolton to be released. But he could not bargain_ _to take me with him_ _. He made my oath his own and promised me he would return the Stark girls to their mothers once back in Kingslanding. I was left to die at the hands of Roose Bolton's men. They've put me in a pitt to fight a bear with only a wooden sword. If Jaime Lannister had not come back for me, I would have died that day"_.

Brienne was not feeling so sure of herself any more. Everyone in the room was watching her. Oh how easier things were with a sword! This story felt so intimate that it was painful to continue. Brienne felt someone taking her right hand. Jaime was encouraging her. The gesture was so discreet that nobody noticed. Brienne's heart was beating so hard she thought it might make it through her chest and her armour.

" _Once back at Kingslanding, we learnt about the fate of Lady Catelyn and that Arya had been missing. Soon after, King Joeffrey was murdered at his own wedding and Lady Sansa was wrongly accused of that crime. Ser Jaime offered me his sword and an_ _armour_ _before sending me to find her and protect her. It is all thanks to him that I could fulfil my oath to Lady Catelyn"_.

Brienne's eyes met Sansa's. The young woman knew Ser Jaime had treated Brienne honourably, but she had never heard the whole story before. She had no idea how important Jaime's role had been to her survival.

Sansa took a few steps towards Jaime and looked deep in his eyes. _"I believe I owe you my life Ser. If you had not sent Brienne after me, Ramsay Bolton would have killed me"_.

Jaime felt relieved and nodded. He turned his look again to the Dragon Queen whose gaze was still fixed upon him. He could not read her expression. Finally she turned back to face Jon Snow and the others.

" _I think it would be a_ _pity_ _to waste the talents of an experience military man like Ser Jaime. Don't you agree Lord Snow?"._

Jon Snow was still shook by the revelations of Jaime's adventures. I a way, he would never have been able to reunite with his family and his home without him. He nodded in agreement.

Jaime started to breath normally again. And he saw his little brother opening his arms to welcome him. He knelled down to embrace him. _"What an entrance, brother!"_ , Tyrion said.

Jaime didn't reply. He was happy enough to hold his little brother now that their sister was lost to him.

" _Don't worry, Jaime. Get your men settled and get some rest while you can. We will have a lot to talk about tomorrow"_.

When he got back on his feet, Jaime nodded. But when he was about to leave the room, he felt the need to set thing right with Bran and walked to him.

" _Lord Bran, I..."_

" _Ser Jaime, you don't have to apologize for anything"_.

" _I... don't?"_ Jaime looked anxiously at the people gathered around the table, who were already back to their strategic talks.

" _It was fate, Ser Jaime. As bad as your reasons to push me were at the time, you had to do it. At least someone needed to do it. Otherwise I would never have discovered who I truly was"._

Jaime was really confused. He tried to look around for someone to explain what the young man was telling him, but nobody was paying him attention any more. That's when he realized Brienne was missing.

Where had she gone?


	3. You have some dirt on your face

Brienne could not prevent her mind and her heart from racing. She needed some fresh air. She crossed the courtyard with a wide stride and went straight to the stables. Whenever she felt distressed she need the contact of horses to calm down.

She unbuckled the bridle and the saddle of Pod's horse. She found a dandy brush and started scraping the sweat were the saddle and the blanket had been. The smell and the heat of the horse were calming her down. Then she wrapped her arm around the horse's head to do the same thing were the bridle was. _"Shush boy. Good boy. There. Don't worry"_ she whispered gently when she felt he was resisting her. Her heart rate was finally coming down. She remembered how many time she would run to her father's stables when she was upset with something. She knew all the name of the horses. Her father, who was always trying to please her, had got her a cute grey pony for her ninth birthday. She had named him Iris. Her father had shown her how to train him and she was quickly able to teach the little pony tricks of her own. But one year later, she had grown so much that she wasn't able to ride him any more. Her feet would go down way below his belly, it was ridiculous. Then her father bought her a nice dark bay gelding. Fury was his name. She loved his strength and his hot temper. He was a gentle horse but he had a lot of energy to give. That was totally fine for Brienne's cool nature. She was not afraid of him and she often took him out without her father's knowledge to gallop on the beaches of Tarth. She trained at least four or five other horses before leaving Tarth to join Renly Baratheon. There, she took her favourite one with her: a grey stallion named Plutao. He was tall and strong but he had the nicest temper. He was not much of a jumper but he was well trained for jousting and was physically impressive, which is always a good thing for battle. Sadly, she had left him on the shores of Dragonstone the day she fled after Renly's death.

Brienne was feeling a little nostalgic. She wondered if she would be able to go back to Tarth one day to tell her father everything she had witnessed.

She pressed her chest and head against the horses shoulder, slid on hand around his neck, and the other down behind his elbow. She closed her eyes and felt the breathing rhythm of the animal. She stayed like this almost a minute before she opened her eyes and started scraping the horse's hair again, more gently this time. She picked up a hoof pick and bent down to take one of his legs. Scrapping the dirt from one hoof, then the other, then another one, then the last one.

When she finally raised up her head she bumped into Jaime, who was standing right in front of her.

She was so surprised she could not find anything to say. She could feel her cheeks turning red. Was it the heat of the horse ? Or was it Jaime ?

" _You have some dirt on your face"_.

She tried do get it off with the back of her hand, hoof pick still in her hand. It made things worse. Jaime smiled. He was so touched by the sight of this incredibly brave woman, who could not even handle a compliment without blushing. She was true. She was kind. She was brave. There had never been a hint of hypocrisy, any manipulative game, behind her eyes. She's a diamond in the rough, he thought. Not attractive at first sight, but if you are lucky enough to get to know her...

" _Let me help you with this"_ he said. He gently grabbed her cheek and brushed the dark stain away with his thumb.

She dared not move. She dared not talk. All she could do was staring at his eyes.

" _Thank you my Lady. For everything you have done for me today"_

Jaime's hand was still sitting on her cheek. Brienne was still frozen on her feet.

" _Ser Jaime!"_ Pod's voice interrupted the moment. Jaime turned to see what was happening and before he could realize it, Brienne was back at scraping the horse's back.

" _What is it Podrick?"_.

" _You are needed at the Gates, my Lord. We need to settle you_ _r_ _men"_.

Jaime threw one last glance at Brienne who seemed to be very concentrated on her task. _"We will have to talk again later. Soon"_ , he thought.


	4. Two swords

Brienne was carefully sharpening the edges of her sword in her chambers. It was dark, and everybody was down in the great hall to have dinner. But she needed some time to herself. She eventually would grab a piece of ham later in the kitchen. At the moment, she needed peace and quiet.

She had not seen Jaime for the rest of the afternoon. One hour before the sunset, she had to give his sword-fighting lesson to Pod. But her heart was not into it. For the first time, her squire managed to touch her knee, then her shoulder with the tip of his sword. Podrick was smiling in triumph Frustrated, she waited for him to raise his hands up for the next attack. Suddenly she grabbed the handle of Podrick's sword with her left hand and punched him hard in the stomach with her sparring sword, before pulling him down to the ground.

" _Aouch"_ Arya and Gendry gasped in a single voice. The two of them were now inseparable, and they would not miss a chance of training with the famous lady warrior.

" _Aouch"_ Podrick echoed.

" _I think that's enough for today Podrick"_ Brienne said. And she went straight back to her room.

Podrick could not agree more. He had seen the ground too close too many times in the day.

" _Don't worry Pod"_ Arya said, petting the young man's shoulder. _"You are getting better at this. And don't take it too personally. Her mind is elsewhere"_.

Brienne's mind was definitely elsewhere. Jaime's presence in Winterfell was obviously the reason of her confusion. He had left his sister. He had kept his word to her and to the North. She had made all the details of their relationship public to save his skin. Not all the details of course... her thoughts went to the bath they shared in Harrenhal. How vulnerable Jaime had seemed. How strong her anger had made her... she had felt so strong that she had not been afraid to show him her naked body...

Focusing on her sword was helping her to sort out her thoughts. It was part of her daily rituals : sharpening Oathkeeper, polishing her armour, getting her cloths ready, brushing her boots. Be ready everyday for battle! Since nobody really knew when the dead would be at Winterfell's doors, she thought she might as well be ready all the time. She was starting to relax and felt almost ready to go to sleep when she heard a knock on her door.

" _Who is it?"_ she asked loud enough for her voice to get through the thick door.

" _It's Jaime"_.

She rolled her eyes up, ignoring the bump her heart had made in her chest. She just wanted to be alone for a while.

She opened the door and looked at Jaime suspiciously.

" _You know, lots of people were looking for you downstairs. The tale of our adventures together has inspired a lot of comments"._

" _That is precisely the reason I did not come down"_ she said coldly.

" _Can I come in? I need to talk to you"_.

Brienne nodded and opened the door a little more for him to come in.

Jaime took a moment to look at the room. It was a small chamber with just a bed, a chair, and a little chest in the corner. He noticed Oathkeeper, left on the bed next to a whetstone, and the armour he had given her, carefully cleaned and tidied on top of the chest. _"A warrior doesn't need more"_ , he thought.

Without a word, Brienne sat on the bed, took her sword and the whetstone, and started to sharpen the blade again. Jaime sat next to her, which made her a little uncomfortable. But she didn't say anything.

" _Brienne, I know it was a lot for you today. I know you don't like to attract attention to yourself. So, again, thank you for saving my skin"_.

" _Yeah, I promised I would keep you safe. You know I always keep my word"_ she said, still concentrated on the blade.

" _I know you do. You've always been a true friend"._

" _Friend!"_ she thought. Somehow, the word was tearing apart something inside her. She had once denied her friendship to him, in front of the Blackfish. She felt she had to justify her relationship to Jaime with only ties of honour and oaths. Weirdly enough, the only one who had been able to see through her heart had been Cersei. She wasn't even aware of it at the time. _"I don't serve your brother, your Grace"_. _"Yes, but you love him"_ the Queen had said. Brienne had been so struck by the revelation she wasn't able to reply anything. Maybe Cersei was only being paranoid or manipulative, but this conversation had weighted a lot in her heart. Yes, she was in love with him. The feeling had been even harder to fight when Jaime decided to give her Oathkeeper and her armour. No man had understood her character that well except from her father. It was as if Jaime was seeing her soul directly, behind the body she abhorred. So, yes, friend! The word was hurting her. All she could do as an answer was shrugging her shoulders.

" _Listen, they are doing a meeting tomorrow morning, to talk about the defence strategies. I have a few ideas but I would like you to be there"_.

Brienne stopped her whetting and breathed loudly. She was easing up a little bit. Maybe because she was now feeling hungry. The hunger was somehow taking over the tension.

" _I can't, I have to train Pod. Besides, I don't think I would be very useful. I'm a fighter, not a leader"_ she said softly.

" _Maybe you are, but you don't know that yet. Anyway, you are the only person I can really trust here"._

Brienne paused to look at the edges of the sword. Enough sharpening for the night, she thought.

" _I'm glad to see how much care you put into this sword"_ , Jaime said with a smile. _"Did you know mine was made out of the same steel?"_

Jaime could see the surprise in her eyes.

" _You told me Oathkeeper had been made with the valyrian steel for Lord Eddard's sword"._

" _Yes, but that sword was so big there was enough steel to make two swords"_. While speaking, he stood up to take Widow's Wail out of his scabbard. He sat back next to her and handed the pommel to her. Since he could only hold the sword with his left hand, Brienne slightly touched his hand when she delicately took the sword from him. She felt a shiver down her spine. But quickly her whole attention was turned to the beautiful sword. The decorations on the pommel were much simpler than on Oathkeeper but quite tasteful. A huge Ruby was set on each side of the pommel between the stag antlers. She also examined the blade. As sharp as the other sword, and with the same dark grey-blue reflection.

" _Why a stag, and not a lion?"_.

" _Actually, Oathkeeper was meant to be mine. This was Joeffrey's sword"_.

" _I'll come with you to the meeting tomorrow. I will just move my training with Pod a little earlier in the morning"_ she said, handling him the sword back. Jaime smiled and took the pommel of the sword, closing his hand on Brienne's in the process. She soflt slid her hand away, looking uneasy. Jaime felt something he had never felt before. He had never really noticed how uncomfortable she was every time they touched. For Gods sake, they had been tied together, they had shared a bath, naked together. She had seen him at his weakest, there should not be anything more uncomfortable than that between them. Or maybe that was precisely the reason. They had been more intimate than a man and a women generally should be when they are not in a sexual relationship. And what a woman she was. He thought about her naked body, standing in front of him in the candle light. Broad shoulders and muscles. Hardly any breasts but her body shape was still harmonious. She was, above all, athletic. Somehow he admired that. Jaime put the sword back into the scabbard and turned to Brienne again. He quickly caught her hand, willingly this time, and more firmly, in fear she might try to pull it out. What was he thinking about, doing this to her? She looked shocked. Even afraid. Her eyes kept going from their hands to his face. Her innocence was almost arousing him. Jaime lifted her hand to his lips and put a gentle kiss on her knuckles, without breaking eye contact.

Jaime had no idea why he felt compelled to do that. Maybe something had changed in their relationship. Maybe that was because he was finally free from Cersei and he felt able to have feeling of his own. Although he had felt attracted to Brienne from that night in the baths of Harrenhal, he had never really acknowledged it in fear it might endanger her. Her reaction to this kiss confirmed him she was also feeling something towards him. The thought of courting her suddenly formed in his head.

" _Thank you, my Lady. I will see you tomorrow then"_.

Brienne nodded. Her lips were trembling and she was afraid that if she spoke, her voice would not come out right.

Jaime released her hand, got up and exited the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.


	5. Got you !

" _Wake up, Podrick"_

Podrick opened an eye. It was still dark outside. Way too early to train. It wasn't really in his character to discuss Brienne's order, but he was still recovering from his bruises. He needed the sleep.

" _My Lady, it's still dark outside"_

" _Tell that to the dead when they come. I'm sure they will gladly wait for you to have a good night of sleep in a feather bed, and a full lunch in your stomach"_.

Oh, Gods! She was right, as usual. Be ready to fight, all the time. Podrick rose up from his bed, put his boots on and grabbed his sparring sword. _"_ _I'm coming, my Lady"_ , he said in a desperate breath.

When he entered the courtyard, she was already here. Walking in circles and moving her arms around to warm up her shoulders. How can she be always ready? Does she ever get tired of doing this? He thought he would better get to it before she caught the slightest sign of laziness in his eyes. He knew what her reaction would be : immediately falling on him with the most powerful attack she could think of. No mercy. Because your enemies will give you none, she always said.

Ignoring the cold air of the early morning, Podrick started to do the same. Walking, moving his arms in circular motions, then back and forth. Then he grabbed a sparring sword. Half an hour later, his whole body was in sweat. Brienne was never tired of fighting. Every time Podrick was getting something right, his master had another trick to block his attacks, or to use his own strength again him. But each time she was using something against him, she would make a pause to explain to him what she had done, and they would work the moves together. Endlessly.

An hour and a half in the training session, the sun was slowly rising on the horizon. Other people were joining the courtyard to train with them. Among them usually were Arya, Gendry, the Hound, and Tormund. The red-haired fellow would circle behind Brienne's back with a devilish smile before getting into any kind of training. He had asked her to spar with him only once. Brienne wanted to refuse, but as she always felt she had to prove herself, she accepted. The man was brutal. She did not expect so much fighting skills from a wildling. And even though she knew he was into her, he did not hesitate to punch her or hit her. Never judge an opponent before you actually face him in combat, she noted in her mind. But Brienne had such a large panel of skills... she hardly ever used her own strength in combat. She knew it was no use against men, even when they were smaller than her. Quickly she took the advantage of the fight, using her speed, her balance, and the strength of her opponent, and she finally knocked the sword out of Tormund's hand. But she felt it was not enough. Dropping her sword, she grabbed his collar with her left hand and punched him in the jaw with her right fist. The hit was hard, but it was mostly surprise that got Tormund got off his feet, falling down on his ass. But the worst part came here. She thought she had given him enough of a lesson to have him leave her alone. Instead, Tormund broke into a big loud laugh. Smiling from ear to ear, he was actually enjoying himself. She had not realized the guy would almost take the beat as a love declaration. And there he was, on the ground, laughing. From this day, he would not stop smiling at her. And today was no exception. All she could do about it now was to ignore him and hope for another chance to beat him down for good.

Brienne would encourage Podrick to use the last half hour of his training to spar with another partner, in order to put in practice what she had just taught him. Arya and Gendry would usually gladly oblige. And since they were using different weapons from the regular medieval sword, it was another challenge for him. Brienne would observe carefully her squire to make mental notes about what she should teach him next.

" _Alright, Podrick. One more time. Try to catch the guard of my sword at some point"_.

Podrick lifted his sword and attacked. Brienne blocked them all before switching to attack him. Podrick was getting better at defending himself. And suddenly, when she raised her sword again, he blocked the guard with his left hand, as she did the day before. He tried to finish the move by a hit on Briennes's waist with his sword, but Brienne already knew the trick to get out of the situation. Instead of resisting by pushing forward, she pulled the guard of her sword in direction of her own body. Podrick slightly lost his balance and Brienne used it to free one of her hands. Then she grabbed the back of his collar and pushed him forward. Podrick did not fall down this time, but he was out of the fight. Brienne was trying hard to keep her cool, but a smile formed on the corner of her mouth.

" _Enjoying yourself, are you?"_

Brienne turned around in surprise. Jaime Lannister was leaning his back against the wall. She wondered how long he had been watching.

" _Sorry, if I had two hands, I would applaud"_ , he said with a grin.

" _Ser Jaime. What are you doing here?"_.

" _Well I've heard there was some sport going on here and I thought I might spar a little myself before getting into the long boring meetings. Would you be so kind as to be my partner for the day?"_.

" _I have already beaten you once. You had your right hand at the time. Do you really want more?"_.

" _Aouch"_ , Jaime thought. But he liked the challenge. And he definitely caught a glimpse of that smile on the corner of her mouth. Fighting was clearly her area of confidence. Everyone in the small courtyard had their eyes fixed on him. They all knew Brienne was close to unbeatable, especially the Hound and Tormund.

" _As you wish, Ser"_ , she said, taking her guard position.

Podrick handed Jaime his sparring sword and took a few steps back.

Since he was now fighting with one hand, Jaime turned his body so that his left shoulder would face Brienne, keeping to tip of his sword down. He was ready. He did not have to wait long before the first strike. She hit him quick and hard. Jaime barley had the strength to block the attack with his own sword. Right, left, right, upwards. The attacks were coming from everywhere. Jaime was happy he had been training a lot with Bronn lately, otherwise he would never have been able to defend himself. He switched his attention to his footwork. Lucky for him he was quick enough to get himself out of the range of her sword. This gave him time to prepare his own set of attacks. Locking his gaze into her eyes, he made a circle around his head with his left arm before launching his sword on her right leg. Brienne was surprised by the move and reacted quickly by removing her foot. Jaime was not done yet. Using his wrist, he launched quick attacks on her shoulders and her head before turning around in a swirl, turning his attention to her legs. Brienne blocked every single one of Jaime's attempt to touch her. She was actually appreciative of the skills he had developed after his mutilation. But most of all, she was enjoying herself. She had always liked to face a serious opponent. Moreover, she liked the feeling of having his eyes locked into hers with the focus of the fight. A warming sensation was building inside her. Left, left, right...

" _Got you"_ , she finally said. Her blade was pointed at his throat.

" _Oh, really?"_ Jaime answered with a grin.

Brienne looked down. The tip of Jaime's blade was touching her knee. Brienne tried to hold back a smile by pinching her lips. _"Good one, Jaime"_ , she thought.

Jaime was trying to catch his breath again. It was a draw, but he had to fight really hard for it. He handed the sparring sword back to Podrick and swiped the sweat on his forehead with his right sleeve. Podrick handed him a flask of water in return that Jaime gladly took.

Brienne turned around to gather her stuffed and threw a quick look at Tormund. Yeah, that's what she thought. The guy wasn't smiling any more. Good work Jaime. Obviously the wildling had noticed something was going on between the _"big woman"_ and the one-handed Lord. A special relationship that he would not even hope to have. She was smiling inside.

" _Was this enough sport for you, my Lord?"_ she asked Jaime.

Jaime was still drinking and nodded with a smile. He wonder if she was aware of how confident and strong she looked when in the fighting area. Her cheeks had turned pink with the exercise and something was glowing in her face.

" _Yes. Thank you. I think it is more than time for us to join the others in the Great Hall, don't you think?"_

Brienne turned to her squire. _"Podrick, get our horses ready for this afternoon. Don't worry, no jumping today. We'll have a simple walk outside"_.

Then she walked to Jaime and they both exited the courtyard side by side.

" _What's with this fucker? Who is he?"_ Tormund asked to the others. The only answer he received was grunt from the Hound.


	6. Renewing the Oath

Brienne and Podrick walked their horses through the heavy gates of Winterfell. Brienne took a long breath of fresh air. Little snowflakes were swirling in the air. Some landed on the tip of her nose and got caught in her eye lashes. She really needed this time to relax. The strategic meeting Jaime had invited her to had awoken something in her. She hardly ever feared anything in life, especially if it meant combat. But this... the dead. The young Lord Stark, Bran, said they only had a few days to get ready. They were marching on Winterfell with Giants... and the Dragon the Nightking had killed with his ice spear. Just the thought of it made her shiver. She was afraid. Really afraid. For the first time in her life.

Jaime must have sensed it. Like the day before, she felt his left hand sliding discreetly inside hers. But this time she really needed the comfort, so she squeezed it a little.

None of the people around this table really knew how to deal with the situation, but the King in the North was determined. Every man and woman in Winterfell had to be equipped with a weapon made out of dragonglass. Trenches were already dug all around the castle and they would be set into fire by Daenerys's dragons if the dead were to come too close to the city. Then Jaime started to expose his ideas and unfolded a piece of parchment on the table. The design looked like a giant crossbow. It immediately caught the attention of the young Queen would stared heavily at Jaime. She had recognized it, for sure.

" _You say he has one of your dragons"_ , Jaime said to Daenerys. _"This is the only way I can think of. We just have to replace the tip of the arrow by dragonglass"_.

" _How do I know you won't use this to shoot one of my remaining dragons to serve your Queen?"_.

Jaime could feel the fire in the young Queen's eyes.

" _She's not my Queen anymore"_ , Jaime replied, swallowing hard.

" _How do we know for sure? How do we know we are not here to infiltrate us and make the job easier for your sister? You haven't pledged your allegiance to any of us. If you want us to trust you, you'll have to bend the knee"_.

Brienne could not believe they were still discussing this. She could feel a burn in her stomach.

Jaime looked at everyone in the room, staring at him. He looked at his little brother. Tyrion was nodding at him for him to proceed, but he did not look so sure of himself. Jaime knew there was only one person in the room that would help him find a way. He turned back to look at Brienne.

She did not say anything. Actually, she had no idea was the right move should be at this point. But instinctively, she grabbed the pommel of Oathkeeper. It was enough for Jaime. He knew what he had to do.

He pulled out his own sword and laid it flat on the table.

" _This sword was forged from the steel of Ned Stark's sword, as was Brienne's"_.

Brienne suddenly understood what he was doing. She felt tears coming to her eyes, but she was able to hold them back.

" _We have made a promise together to Catelyn Stark. To return her innocent girls to her and to keep them safe. I have kept my word through Brienne so far. I now intend to keep that promise myself"_ , Jaime said, looking intensely at Lady Sansa.

" _I won't bend the knee to a Queen I don't know. But would I pledge myself to Lady Sansa. And to the protection of her family, if she allows me"_. His eyes turned to Bran. _"I hope that, if I die in the process, my death would make up for the mistakes I have done in the past"_.

The silence in the room was almost unbearable. Sansa finally broke it. _"Thank you Ser. I don't really know you but I trust Brienne's judgement about you. I gladly accept your service"_.

Jaime thanked her with a nod. And he looked again at the Dragon Queen in hope of her approval.

" _Alright, Ser Jaime"_ , Daenerys said. _"We don't have much time. I'll leave you to talk with the smiths to see if we can built this machine in due time"_.

Both Jaime and Brienne started to breath normally. He was definitely out of danger.

After such a meeting, Brienne needed the fresh air more than ever. Podrick and Brienne passed the trenches that were being dug all around the castle. Brienne pressed the flanks of her horse to ask him for a gentle trot. Podrick followed. For the next ten or fifteen minutes, Brienne was focusing on the flexibility of her horse, pulling his head left, then right, always checking his speed and his regular bounce. The horse was gently accepting the contact with the bit. This was the best feeling in the world to her. The weight of the reins was getting lighter and lighter with the relaxation of her horse.

She slowed down her ride when they arrived on a flat area just at the edge of the forest for them to take a break and breath. Then she took her reins tight again and started to canter on a large circle. Podrick, who was now familiar with the warm up routine, did the same. After changing the direction of the circle, Brienne made sign to her squire to make him understand they would have to work their horses alone today, and she started to repeat the familiar exercises that she knew.

On a large imaginary square, she had her horse do the exercises one by one : shoulder-in, head to the wall, half pass, extension, and then the same again on the other side. Podrick, who was focusing on simpler exercises, saw a rider approaching them. Ser Jaime again? Was he following them? Podrick suspected something was going on between him and Brienne, but he wasn't really sure.

" _Hey Pod. You're doing much better with your horse"_ Jaime said.

" _Thank you, my Lord. I'm getting quite used to it now. I hope one day I can be as good as she is"_ Podrick answered, pointing his chin towards Brienne.

The maid of Tarth was taken so much by her training routine that she had not noticed Jaime's arrival.

Jaime was carefully observing her actions. He was surprised to notice she was not wearing any spurs. _"Apparently this is a very gentle horse"_ , he thought. _"Or, she really has a very firm and subtle touch..."_. He had never seen her perform her art with the animals before. He also noticed how steady her hands were above the wither. She was just keeping a light contact with the mouth of her horse with her fingers, barely pulling on the reins. She was also very steady in the saddle. While he was watching her, she started the next set of exercises with a smooth canter. Jaime's eyes were fixed on her hips moving back and forth. Dirty thoughts were coming to his mind. He started a casual conversation with Podrick to fight them. They talked about his training and the things that he had learned.

Finally Brienne pulled the reins _"Oh, oooooh!"_. Once the horse was completely immobile, she released the reins and bent forward to give him a pat. Then she saw him. _"What again?"_ She thought. _"Is he following me?"._

" _So Pod, if you are here for the quality of the conversation, I think you would be much better get back inside and treat yourself with a cup of tea, rather than being on a horse. Don't you agree, Ser Jaime?"_

" _I'm sorry. I am the one you pulled him out of his work routine"._

" _Yes, I can see that. Thank you very much"_ , she said, her voice full of reproach

Jaime felt the need to justify his interruption. _"I was taking a turn around the city, to check out the trenches and the defence mechanisms. I saw you two in the far. I hope you will pardon my curiosity. You are an amazing rider, Brienne. I don't think I had ever saw you riding..."_.

Brienne seemed unmoved by the compliment. But inside, she was flattered. Jaime was an experienced horseman. A praise coming from him had an important value to her. She thought it would be better to change the subject of the conversation to something else than herself.

" _Ser Jaime. I have always wondered... how you can swing a sword while keeping your horse under control with your golden hand?"_

" _Ah. Good question. I had several handles made all along the reins, on both sides. It is not at precise as a hand action, but it's pretty similar with a horse correctly trained to accept that. And when I need to fight with the left hand, I just put two handles around my right wrist to hold the reins"_.

He walked his horse to hers to show her what he was talking about. His even handed her on of the reins so that she could get a closer look. When she tried to grab the piece of leather, their gloved hands touched again in the process. This made Brienne quite angry. What do you think you are doing Ser Jaime? Every time you touch me, you are killing me inside! She was furious. She took her own reins back, staring angrily at Jaime.

" _Podrick, I'm done for today. I'm going back inside. Do whatever you want to do..."_.

And before her squire could open his mouth, she was already galloping back to the city, leaving Jaime shocked and wordless. Alright, maybe I am pushing her a little bit. But I don't think I deserved that, he thought. He felt suddenly worried he had inadvertenly hurt her feelings.

" _What's the matter with her Podrick?"_

" _Ser, I think you do know what's the matter"_ , the squire said.

Jaime raised his eyebrows in an interrogative way.

" _You, Ser! You are the matter"_ , said Podrick.


	7. I would like to try that again

Jaime handed his horse over to one of his men, and started looking around for Brienne. He knew he had been playing with fire, but it was not in his intentions to hurt her. He was really worried about what she might think about his behaviour since he had arrived. Walking around the courtyard, he stumbled on Bronn who was busy talking to the smith about the ballista.

 _"What have you been up to?"_ Bronn asked.

 _"Have you seen Brienne?"_.

 _"No. Not since I saw you get into that meeting with all the fancy folk. All sweaty and rosy cheeks. Have you been fucking?"_.

Jaime shook his head with a look of disdain _"No!"_. How could Bronn always see what was in his mind?

Jaime frowned and walked away. He heard Bronn's voice behind his back. _"Well maybe you should! And if I were you, I would hurry up. The dead fockers are coming!"_.

Jaime kept on with his search. He finally found her in a conversation with Arya and Gendry. They were discussing, the shapes of the dragonglass weapons the young smith had created. Daggers and arrow tips. Brienne was turning around one of the daggers in her hands, feeling the weight and the texture of the object. When she saw Jaime coming, she immediately pinched her lips, frowned, put down the weapon and turned on her heals to walk away.

Jaime had the hardest time trying to catch up with her stride.

 _"Brienne, please. I am sorry. I didn't want to hurt you"_.

It was like trying to talk to a wall.

 _"Brienne, please, listen to me"_. He grabbed her arm to stop her. This reminded him of their conversation in the dragon pit. It had such a deep impact over him. Everything had changed for him, that day. Brienne turned around and faced him. He could feel the power of her anger in her eyes. He felt really small. And old. A small old man playing small games with a person who didn't want to play.

 _"What exactly do you think you are doing, Ser? Are you toying with me?"_

 _"Ah... I... No!"_ Jaime was short on words. She was waiting for an answer. Stop the games Jaime. This is the most honest person you know and she deserves your honesty. This was the moment or never.

 _"Brienne I am sorry. I have grown attached to you, and I don't really know how to show it to you. I swear to you,I am not trying to trick you into anything and if I have hurt you, I didn't mean to. Please, I hope you will forgive me. Your friendship means a lot to me"_ he said. He could see on her face she was still processing his words. He gently removed a stray of blond hair from her face, moved closer to her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. When he looked at her face again, he could see tears of despair forming in her eyes. She truly had no idea of how to handle her feelings and the situation. _"Friendship"_ , _"Friends"_ , those words again... Her attitude touched Jaime to the heart. He moved closer again and lifted his hand to brush the skin of her cheek with his fingers. They were so close, their noses were almost touching, and they could feel each other's breath in the cold winter air.

Brienne could feel her heart moving up to her throat. And when Jaime pressed his lips against hers, she could not hold the tears any longer. _"What is happening to me? Am I dreaming?"_ she thought.

When theirs lips broke apart, Jaime held her forehead against his for a little while. Her whole body was trembling. Jaime also felt a shiver running up his spine. He realized his feelings for her were even deeper than what he had thought. He fought the urge of attacking her lips with all his passion. _"Be gentle"_ , he thought. _"Take your time"_. He moved away from her to watch her reaction. Yes, the tears were coming down, but she looked peaceful. Like some kind of heavy weight had been lifted from her mind.

Brienne pinched her lips together to feel where Jaime's had been. His taste, his warmth. Her first kiss... even in her dreams she would not have hoped to be kissed by such a handsome man as Jaime Lannister.

Jaime smiled at this sight. He kept grazing her cheek with his left hand.

 _"If you don't mind, I would like to try that again"_ he said.

Brienne nodded and Jaime closed the space between them again. Their lips met again, more frankly this time. And when Jaime's lips started to move, Brienne slightly opened hers and responded the same way. Butterflies were coming up from her stomach. Though still trembling, she felt confident enough to rise one of her hands to grab Jaime's face. His beard was soft and warm to the touch. Getting used to the softness of Jaime's lips, she slightly opened her lips to welcome his mouth. The kiss became more and more passionate. Jaime slightly gazed her lips with his tongue and her suddenly heard a shy moan coming out of her. He parted from to watch her face again. All rosy cheeks, she was trying to catch her breath and hide a smile. He felt his heart soring.

But parting from the kiss made him realize they were still in the middle one of the smaller courtyards, exposed to everyone's gaze. He turned his head around and met Arya and Gendry's eyes, who were observing them from afar. And then, in the other corner of the courtyard, the red-haired wildling fellow… Brienne was also coming out of the little bubble they had created and started to feel uncomfortable.

 _"I think everybody is watching"_ , she said, anxiously. Drawing attention to herself was something that she dreaded.

 _"It might be better if we talked again later"_ , Jaime replied, feeling how the situation was making her uncomfortable. _"I have to go back talk to the smiths about the ballista. Will you join me at dinner tonight?"._

She nodded. And as an answer, he took her hand and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles, as he had done the night before, without taking his gaze away from hers.

Then, with a smile, he turned and walked away.

Brienne was left there. Her breath was short and her cheeks were burning. She was also feeling a strange burn under her stomach. Is that what love is making you feel ? Almost sick ? Still in her thoughts, she turned away to take the direction of the castle and met Tormund's gaze. It was as if his eyes were ready to pop out of their sockets. The seemed ready to chop somebody's head off. Most likely Jaime's. Brienne managed to hide it, but she almost wanted to laugh. You see, Tormund, this is the way to court a noble lady.

Later in evening, Brienne was feelling the need to clean up the sweat away from her body. Discreetly, she opened the door of her chambers, looked if anyone was in the corridors, and headed to the basement of the castle. Winterfell was built on a warm source of water that irrigated the walls and was keeping the warmth. The source was also constantly filling big bathtubs in the basement, a little bit like in Harrenhal.

Brienne was always very careful to go there as late as possible, in order to avoid any kind of contact. She would hate having to share her bath and feeling her body being watched.

Without a noise, she reached the room and closed the door behinf her. It was only filled with steam, the warmth of the water and a scent of lavender soap.

Brienne sat down to remove her boots and socks. Then, turning her head around one last time to check if she was truly alone, she started to remove the lace of her tunic, revealing the bandage of linen she would strap across her breasts for support. Once the tunic and the bandage were carefully removed and folded on a chair, she unstrapped her breeches and slid them down her hips and thighs.

She then walked towards the closest tub and carefully tried to feel the temperature of the water with the tip of her toe. Satisfied with the warmth, she sat on the edge and slowly slid down the tub. She crouched down is the water to have it cover the most of her body before thrown her had backwards to immerge herself completely. After 4 or 5 seconds underneath, she got her head out and took a deep breath in the steamy air. She felt as if she was born again. The water was relaxing her body and washing away all traces of her activities during the day: sword fighting, horse-riding, but also all those new intense emotions.

Brienne sat on a step made inside the tub and closed her eyes a little while, listening to the sound of water, breathing the warm steam… her thoughts quickly turned to Jaime. What exactly had happened today? She thought he was playing a game… How could she know he truly had feelings for her? How was this possible, for such a man to be attracted by such a beast? She thought again about that kiss. His lips on hers… and then the tip of his tongue. The taste of his mouth, the softness of his beard… her hand instinctively went up to touch her on lips.

But it wasn't the whole thing. A little later, she had joined the crowd for dinner. She sat at the table next to Podrick. The poor lad was exhausted after their last sword fighting session. It was as if Brienne's strength had doubled in an hour time. And her whole face was glowing with something that he had never seen before. She patted his shoulder him on the shoulder before leaning forward to grab something to eat on the table. Jaime came in a little bit later, absorbed in a conversation with Jon Snow and Bronn. But he stopped suddenly when he caught sight of Brienne with the corner of his eye. He walked towards her table with a smile and sat right in front of her, pushing Gendry a little bit on his right.

 _"My Lady. What a pleasure to see you again"_ , he said, intensely gazing at her.

Brienne didn't say a word. She felt her throat tightening again, and this weird warmth forming under her stomach. She simply nodded, but Jaime could read a smile in her gaze. And he noticed how her cheeks were slightly turning pink. Jaime started a conversation with Podrick and young Gendry, who was sitting at his sight while helping himself with food. He would politely look at the too young men when addressed to but mostly, his eyes were fixed on Brienne. The group was joined by Arya and the Hound. Brienne was feeling more relaxed and was actually enjoying the conversation that was focused on Podrick's training and his numerous misadventures, on which she would often add a little spicy comment.

While leaving the table, Brienne felt a hand catching hers.

 _"May I see you later tonight"_ , Jaime whispered in her ear.

 _"Yes"_ , she simply responded. Without really knowing what she was getting herself into. Her mind was telling her it would be simply a friendly conversation like the one they had the previous night, but her racing heart was telling her something else might be going on.

Back in her room, she proceeded to her daily rituals. Untiying her armour, cleaning it, tidiing it on the small chest in which she would put her fresh cloth. Brushing her boots and whetting her sword. Once all of this had been done, she thought of Jaime again… is he gonna come here ? How long do I have to wait. That's when the idea of taking a bath came. Maybe because she associated it with him, somehow. It was late enough for her to go, so that's the moment she chose to leave her room.

Closed eyes, still in the bathtub, Brienne was stuck on the image of Jaime's eyes fixed on her all along dinner. Her hand, still on her lips, slid slowly down her body to her own throat, her sternum, her belly, and a little lower. The funny feeling she had felt earlier was coming back again. Stronger. Her breath was becoming shorter and she felt compelled to slid her hand between her thighs. The rubbing awoke something in her. She had never really thought of how sex was working. She didn't grow up with a mother or a sister to talk about those things. And even later, she never had female friends. Her appearance and her taste in sword fighting would often drive them away. She had already touched herself once or twice without really knowing t during the night, but this was the first time the thought of someone in particular was triggering this kind of physical need.

She started to gently rub her clitoris with her middle finger, making circles around it, imagining Jaime's hand was making the move. The thought pulled a dep moan out of her mouth. Surprised herself about this, her eyes flew open in fear someone would hear her. But she was all alone and the walls of the castle were thick. Reassured, she closed her eyes again and abandoned herself to her own touch, increasing the rhythm. She started panting and stopped the move to explore this area of her body with her finger. Lips, clitoris, and below… oh. She slid one finger in her whole. It made her gasp. The warmth and the slickness in there were not caused by the warm water. She could feel it. One finger, in and out. Mmmmmh. Two? Yes. It was hard to get them both inside but she enjoyed the filling of fullness it was giving her. Her thoughts were also drifting to what she knew of Jaime's body. His muscular thighs, his chest, and… she had already seen his dick but the way she was imagining it now was not really what she had seen when he was weak and in terrible pain. She was trying to imaging what it would feel to have it inside her, even though she didn't have a clear idea of how that would work. She was having the hardest time to breath. She moved her fingers up again to her clitoris, keeping in mind the feeling of having something inside her. Suddenly a wave pleasure caught her by surprise, making her whole body shake. _"Aaaah !"._ The scream was out of her mouth before she could realise it. What was that ? She moved her hand away and enjoyed the waves of warmth and pleasure that were coming from the most intimate part of her body like electricity with little moans. Never had she felt so good in her own body.

Once her breathing was back to normal, she remembered what she was here for and looked for a piece of soap. She found one on the edge of the tub and quickly washed herself up.

As soon as the soap had been removed from her body, she got up and moved out of the tub. She quickly jumped in the fresh breeches that she had brought, and slipped on a fresh tunic. She didn't bother to close the lace all the way up, she was planning on going straight to her bed to get some sleep. She blew a few candles from exiting the room, and closed the door behind her.

She was so focused on going back to her room as quickly as possible she didn't' hear he other steps coming down in the stairs. Then, half way up the stairs, she bumped into Jaime Lannister.

 _"Oh God, Jaime"_ she said, so startled to find him, above all people, in her way. The simple sight of him made her blush. She still had in her mind the waves of pleasure the thought of him had provoked in her…

 _"That's alright Brienne"._ He caught her arms to have her face him. He was examining her expression, barely visible in the candle light. Her breath was short, probably due to her running up the stairs. Then he notices her hair was wet, dripping around her face. Some of the drops were coming down her neck and were sliding down her bare sternum.

When Brienne saw where Jaime's gaze was going, she closed the fabric of her tunic around her neck with her hand. The movement awoke something in Jaime's eyes. His pupils suddenly dilated. He placed his hand over Brienne's to move it away. He needed to see her wet flesh again. Brienne didn't fight it. The now familiar warmth was making its way again to her lower parts. Has she released the fabric, Jaime could see the flat of her chest between her breasts again, moving up and down as her breath was quickening.

Jaime's own breathing rhythm was also increasing. Setting her hand free, he moved his fingers to her cheek. Gently grazing her soft skin. She was still warm from her bath. Then the tips of his fingers moved to her neck. Slightly moving the collar of the tunic away from her skin, he noticed three parallel scars on her that were very familiar to him. The bear pit. The wooden sword. He traced it gently with the back of his fingers. Brienne reacted to his touch by slightly opening her lips. This was too much for Jaime. He inhaled loudly before pressing firmly his mouth to hers. He thought she might fight his bold move. Instead, he found her welcoming and moaning. Her hands instantly wrapped up around his head, and she ran her fingers through his hair. When she understood how to move her lips at the same rhythm as his, he felt his groin swelling in his breeches. His left hand slid from her neck to her sternum, to the very spot he was dying to see and touch.

Another moan came out of her mouth as Jaime pressed her back against the wall, sliding his golden hand in the small of her back. Her lips opened and Jaime immediately slipped his tongue in her mouth. It surprised Brienne, but the immediate feeling of butterflies coming up from her intimate parts encouraged her to relax and enjoy the feeling. The wetness and the taste of him felt absolutely incredible. Gaining confidence, she replied by thrusting her own tongue against his. This time, Jaime was the one who moaned. Feeling more and more aroused, he broke away from the kiss to take a break. He took his time to look at her. Her head was leaning against the wall, eyes closed. She was trying to catch her breath. His breeches were feeling tighter and tighter at this sight. He moved closer again to plant gentle kissed in her neck, right behind her ear.

 _"Brienne, my love",_ he said between kisses, _"Don't you think it would be better to get into you chambers. Somebody might run into us here"_.

 _"Mmmh Yes",_ she answered in a breath.

Jaime moved away and grabbed her hand, leading her up the stairs.


	8. Is this real ?

Brienne's eyes were fixed on the back of Jaime's head, who was leading them straight to her room. When they entered her chambers, he left a hand on the door to close it behind them and leaned back against it. Brienne was staring at him, trying to catch her breath after the run.

It made Jaime laugh. He thought they both looked like two silly children hiding from the adults.

" _What so… oh god… so funny… Ser Jaime?"_ , Brienne asked between two breaths. She looked a little bit insecure. She still had trouble to believe that Jaime was truly attracted to her and was still suspicious he might be making a fool of her.

Jaime felt it and answered with a smile

.

He was still smiling but Brienne felt he was referring to Cersei and that it was making him sad. She moved closer to him and cupped his cheek with her hand. Jaime turned his head to kiss the inside of her hand.

" _Ser Jaime. What is really happening here, between us?"_

" _I think at this point, you can drop the "Ser"…"_. His kisses on her hand were becoming more passionate. But before he could really answer, Brienne wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his neck. Jaime patted her back but suddenly felt the warmth of tears again his skin.

" _What is it my love?"_

" _Do you really love me Jaime? Is this real? How can this be?"_. She was now facing him again, trying to wipe away the tears with the back of her hand.

Jaime's heart sunk in his chest. He suddenly felt he was himself on the verge of crying. He could read in her face everything that she had suffered. The mockery, the insults, the disgusted looks. He was only realizing what his words and actions were meaning to her. He wanted to take her face with both his hands… but only raised his left one to her cheek, leaving the golden hand on her left arm.

" _Look at me Brienne",_ he said, looking intensely in her eyes. " _I don't want to do anything to hurt you. Please, trust me. You know you can. I do love you. It's as weird to me as it might seem to you. I don't care how you think you look, or how others see you… you are beautiful to me. You are true and brave and I admire that. You are also the only one to see me as I am. Not as my father's son, not as my sister's brother. Not as the arrogant ass I usually am. Do you believe me now?"_

As an answer, Brienne closed he space between them and laid a shy kiss on his lips.

" _For the record, I do think you are an arrogant ass"_ she whispered in his ear.

They both broke into a laugh. It was such a sweet moment of mixed feelings. Neither of them had experienced something like this before. Smiling. Kissing. Mixing the taste of their mouth with the salt of their tears….

The kissing became more passionate and Jaime pushed Brienne to press her back against the door. Once again, his left hand found its way from her throat to her sternum, but this time he didn't stop there. He moved it a little lower and to the left to press it on her ribs while gently gazing the side of her breast with his thumb. It immediately made Brienne gasp in pleasure… and surprise.

Brienne was overwhelmed with the amount of new feelings she was experiencing. her throat tightenning, a warmth and butterflies coming up for between her thighs, and now it was as if Jaime's touch was triggering small electrical shocks.

Jaime used this moment to move away from her mouth and started kissing her jaw and her throat while cupping her breast with his hand. The moan he heard lifted any doubt he could have had about how attracted to her he was. He had to squeeze his his thighs together to slow himself down. But as much as he wanted her, he wanted to please her, to give her something special, and not force her into anything she might be uncomfortable with.

Looking at her straight in the eyes, he lowered his hand to her hip and pulled the string of her breeches. He could see she was afraid. She was trembling. But she was also excited. She didn't fight him off. On the contrary, she shyly sid her hand in his collar to touch in an attempt to touch his skin. Jaime was more than happy to give her satisfaction, and he pulled his tunic over his shoulders and head to remove it. He felt quite embarrassed when his clothes got stuck into the place where his golden hand was attached. Brienne took his arm in her hands and removed the leather buckles that was maintaining the prosthetic in place. Once, Jaime was free, she threw the massive piece of gold,and the clothes on the ground. It landed with a loud metallic noise.

Bare chest and with his stump completely visible, Jaime felt weirdly vulnerable. It gave Brienne more confidence. This stump was not a sign of weakness to her. It meant everything she admired about this man. And the journey that had transformed him forever. She took his wrists in her hands and moved both of Jaime's left hand and stump back to her waist, right inside her opened tunic. She need to feel his embrace around her.

Besides his arousal, Jaime felt a pinch in his heart. Of course Brienne would accept him as he was. She would never judge someone by his physical appearance. Making his way to her ear with small kisses, he whispered to her " _My love I want to give the pleasure you deserve. I promise I won't take your maidenhead unless you want me too. Do you trust me with this ?"_.

He felt her nodd and heard her moan again. It was enough for him. Back to kissing her lips, he slid his warm hand inside her breeches, right in her middle and gently cupped her there. Brienne instantly started to pant. Never had someone else touched her in such an intimate place. Jaime's hand was slowly coming up and down, caressing the soft hair between her thighs while planting gentle kisses along her jawline. And when she felt one of his fingers exploring deeper…. " _Aaaaah !"_. Her eyes flew open to Jaime watch Jaime's face smiling to her.

" _Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"_

" _No. Keep going"_ She managed to say between to heavy breath. It almost sound like a plea to Jaime's ears. It was amazing to see someone experience this feeling for the first time in her life. Suddenly the strong warrior was only innocence and wonder. He had to fight hard his own arousal to keep all his focus on her.

Finding her clitoris, he started to move in circles... then up and down again between her lips. He could already feel her wetness dripping on his fingers, so it didn't take him too much time to slide a finger in her hole. Brienne was trying not to scream to loud and was gripping to Jaime's shoulder. The feeling of her nails digging in his back made him groan. He stopped to pull down completely Brienne's breeches, exposing her cunt and thighs to the fresh air. Maybe it was the cold, maybe it was the excitement provoked by Jaime's harsh move, but Brienne could feel goose bumps coming up her spine.

Jaime went back up to kiss her lips again, and slowly made his way down her throat. He carefully kissed the scars on her neck. Then he kept going down to meet one of her breast. He stopped there a while to feel her nipple harden at the touch of his tongue. And he moved down again, kneeling down, carefully tracing the middle of her abdominal line, her belly button.

So far submerged by pleasure, a wave of panic suddenly reached Brienne when she realised where Jaime was going with this.

" _Oh gods, Jaime ! Are you going to….?"_

He stopped to look up at her with a smile. " _I need you to trust me with this, Brienne. I know you will love it. If you don't, just tell me to stop and I will"_.

Brienne breathed out heavily to calm herself down. But soon, the waves of warm pleasure started to overcome her fears when Jaimes mouth was once again against the skin of her belly. She even unconsciously eased his way down by slightly opening her thighs. She gasped and moaned loudly when Jaime reached her middle. With gentle kisses are first. But Brienne was not ready for what was coming next. She felt his press his whole mouth against her and exploring her parts with his tongue.

" _Oh Gods. Oh Gods"_.

Jaime had to concentrate not to smile at this sound. Here she was, the greatest warrior of westeros, almost begging for mercy. Of course this wasn't a battlefield she had any experience with. When he heard the rhythm of her panting accelerating, he slid his left hand up between her thighs and inserted two fingers in her wetness.

" _Ah! Jaime!"_

The sound of his names in her moans made him want to speed things up. He went up and down with his finger and quicker with his tongue.

Brienne could feel something building inside her. She had no control over her body anymore and was moaning at every breath… " _aaah...aaah...aaaah"_. And suddenly a wave of electricity shook her whole body, making her scream Jaime's name so loud, should later wonder if she had awakened Pod, who was sleeping next door. After all she was still leaning against the door…. Feeling the twitch around his fingers, Jaime removed his fingers from her and waited for her to calm down by planting small kisses on her belly.

When he felt her breathing going back to normal, he rose up on his feet and held her against him, holding her by the waist. Then, meeting her half opened eyes, he whispered " _so does that mean you liked it? I'm not sure…"_

Brienne laughed and leaned forward to kiss him.


	9. I am yours and you are mine

Brienne's eyes flew open when she heard a noise and felt a move next to her. Before she could think about it, she had grabbed the dagger she was hiding under her bed and was sitting up in her bed, studying every corner of her room.

And then, she saw him in the candlelight… Jaime. Peacefully asleep next to her. "I guess I'm not used to have someone sleep next to me", she thought, putting the dagger back in its place. She laid down on her side to face him. It was still dark outside. She had no idea how long she had slept. But the truth was, she didn't really want to sleep after all. Not after all this excitement. She felt she already had all the energy needed to stay up all day.

She used this time to study Jaime's face carefully. He looked way more serious asleep than awake. And older. But Brienne didn't care about it. She liked everything in his face : the weird shaped nose, the almond eyes, the square jaw, the blond-grey beard… all the elements that made his face look so perfect in the end. She raised her hand to trace the line on his face with her fingers. It was amazing to her to be able to do that. She was his and he was hers. She still had trouble to believe it was true.

Jaime must have felt her touch. He breathed louder than before and stretched his stump to grab her waist, pulling her closer to him. Brienne's heart was full… and when the skin of her belly touched his, it awoke all the feelings she had experienced earlier in the night.

Three times had she reached an orgasm… now that she knew what it was. And Jaime only had to use his fingers or his mouth. The last one had been so strong that, even if she was starting to worry about Jaime's own pleasure, it almost knocked her down to sleep. Jaime had encouraged her to relax and had followed her into morpheus arms.

Now that she was awake once again, she was wondering about Jaime's pleasure. He had never left his breeches but she knew she had felt a hard growth when he was pressing himself against her.

Now that she felt more comfortable taking initiatives, she started to caress the skin of his ribs with her palm, and then his abdominals with the back of her hand. She could feel Jaime's breathing rhythm increasing in his sleep. Going up and down, she let her hand go lower and lower, until she reached the waistband of his breeches. She let the back of her hand stay there while, against the lowest point of his belly. Brienne could feel her own arousal building, now that she was familiar with the feeling. She started to plant small kisses on his chin, on his jaw. She knew she was on the right track when she felt his grasp tighten around her waist.

She moved her hand on his hips and started to slide her fingers under his waistband… and following the waistband she moved her hand back to his belly. She could feel his hairs on the back of her fingers. Jaime moaned but this last move woke him up. He tried to grab her wrist to stop her but he could not with his stump.

"Wait ! Wait ! Brienne…" he said.

Brienne was suddenly worried she had done something wrong and removed her hand.

"Sorry. I didn't want to frighten you. But if you take that road, I'm not sure I'll be able to hold myself" Jaime said.

"Hold yourself from what?"

"Hum… from you… you know…" He was looking intensely at her.

Brienne was no longer as innocent as she was the night before, and she was pretty sure she could handle herself. She frowned.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but you might get pregnant… or regret it later".

"For all we know, we could die tomorrow, or in the next few days. So, do you really think I care?"

Jaime was excited to see this new confidence in her. And also aroused by what she was suggesting.

"You are sure you want to try this?"

She nodded. And Jaime could see a little smile in the corner of her mouth. He leaned forward to kiss her. While kissing him back, Brienne slid her hand back to where it was. And when she heard him groan, she whispered to him "I love you Jaime. I want to see you".

Jaime understood immediately. Feeling his heart racing, he turned on his back to get rid of his breeches. His penis suddenly sprung free and Brienne had to hold herself back from gasping at this sight. She had already seen male parts before, but never in that way. It seemed so huge to her, she almost felt frightened.

Jaime slipped back under the blanket and the furs. He climbed over her and pressed his body against Brienne's. Free from his breeches, he could at last feel his cock touching the bare skin of her thighs. Brienne shivered at this new contact. It was hard and warm. Very warm. His gaze fixed in her's, he started to explore her body with his hand, caressing her hair first, then her jawline, her throat. Brienne was doing the same with both her hands, going from his neck to his shoulders… his muscular chest… his abdominals. She realised her hands were now reaching the point where she had previously stopped. Hesitant, she looked up at him for his approval.

"Oh yes, you can go there if you want to, my love. I've been dying for this all night long", Jaime thought. It was almost as if he had said it out loud. Biting her lips in the sexiest way - and the fact that she was doing it unconsciously was even more attractive to him - she attempted to reach down with one of her hands. And when she finally touched his cock, she instantly froze upon hearing his gasp.

"Keep going", Jaime breathed heavily. More determined, she started to caress the warm member with her fingers. It felt really weird to her at first but she soon started to enjoy watching Jaime's reaction to her touch. Earlier, she was the one experiencing all he pleasure, even if it was quite obvious Jaime was more than happy to please her. Now it was the other way around and she enjoyed the power it was giving her. It was amazing to see the look on his face at her touch. She still had a hard time believe she was the source of all this. Getting confident, she started to rub his cock more firmly with her palm, pressing it against her own thigh in the process. Jaime's breath was getting heavier and heavier, eyes still fixed in hers. And when she finally grabbed him completely with her hand, Jaime, gasping, thought it was time to change the game. "If she keeps going that way, I'm not gonna last long", he thought.

He gently caught her wrist to move her hand away and dived into her to attack her throat with kisses. He was getting to know her body, but he felt he was still discovering new things on her : scars, beauty spots, freckles. He needed to explore and taste every part of her with his tongue. Going down, he heard her moan when he started to play with one of her nipples. It almost immediately hardened with the contact of his tongue. Without letting her nipple go, Jaime moved his hand down to Brienne's middle and started to rub the parts she was craving attention to.

"Ah… yes. Mmmmh !"

Jaime smiled. He was back in control again. And Brienne was more and more relaxed now that she knew what to expect. Or, did she?

"Turn around" he said. His voice tone was so much lower than usual.

"What? Why?"

Jaime could see the confusion in her eyes. He planted small kisses on her chest to reassure her.

"Just… do… as I say… my love".

Brienne flipped her body around, she was still on her knees, about to lie down when she felt Jaime strongly grabbing her hips and pulling her to him. Brienne rose her body up and found herself completely pressed against Jaime's, who was already kissing her neck with his full mouth.

Brienne gasped loudly in surprise. Jaime's mouth in her neck was triggering waves of shivers. And she loved the way his arms were closing on her from behind. She could also feel the warmth of his cock firmly pressed against her bare bum. She turned her head around so that Jaime could kiss her on the mouth. Which he immediately obliged. The feeling of his tongue against hers was awaking the butterflies inside her. And as soon as she was starting to feel the need for him to do that, Jaime was already reaching for her cunt with his hand, rubbing her clitoris, and then sliding one finger inside her, up and done in a repetitive motion. When he felt her moaning into the kiss, he broke away from her and gently pushed her body forward. Brienne would have fought such a bold submission move if she had not been hypnotized by pleasure.

Jaime had to breath heavily to regain control. The sight of her muscular body, standing on her knees and elbows, her ass straight in front of him, was almost killing him with desire. He fought it by letting his hand and his stump wander on her back and on her hips. Brienne was panting. She needed to feel his touch inside her again.

Jaime hesitated. He was so hard, and he wanted her so much, he needed to get inside her. He grabbed his cock and stroke it a little before aligning it with her cunt.

"No, Jaime. Not like this. Wait", he thought.

Instead of fucking her, he chose to press his penis against her cheek, and inserted his fingers inside her.

"She needs to understand what you are doing and be able to stop it if she wants to", Jaime thought. Oh, how much he wanted to fuck her. And her wetness and groans were not making it easier for him.

When he felt she was at the brink of coming Jaime stopped and pulled his fingers out, provoking moans of disappointment.

"I think you're ready for me, my love. Turn around".

Brienne had trouble to breath, but when she turned around, Jaime could see her eyes sparkling with desire. Jaime settled between her legs and made her spread them so that his cock would be in contact with her cunt.

"This is it", Brienne thought, suddenly shivering.

"Listen to me, my love. I'm going as slow as I can, but it might hurt a little. Please, tell me to stop if anything bothers you. I want you to have pleasure. If not, you have to tell me and I'll stop".

Brienne nodded. She felt reassured by his words. She knew she had been right to trust him. With anyone else, her first time might have turned horribly wrong and she would have been repulsed by men.

Jaime gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. He then grabbed his cock with his left hand and inserted the tip inside her wetness.

"Oh gods", she gasped.

Jaime smiled, but fought hard the urge of pushing himself completely inside her. Instead he was making a small up and down movement that he would slightly increase after watching her reaction. Then, when he felt her tightness, he started to slowly push himself inside her.

"Aaaaah… Aaaaah…" Brienne was closing her eyes and frowning, but she didn't ask him to stop. Jaime felt huge inside her, and it was almost like her inside was burning up. Once he was completely inside, Jaime stayed still for a moment, waiting for her reaction. Brienne was panting but the burning sensation was wearing off, leaving a feeling of fullness instead.

"Are you alright?" Jaime asked softly, moving locks hair away from her face.

"Mmh...yes. Yes, I think so".

"Good" Jaime said. And he started to rock his body to move inside her. She was even tighter than he imagined.

Brienne had no idea it could be so amazing. She was welcoming the pressure inside her with little moans at every move. It was slow but so intense. And she was also hypnotized by Jaime's gaze, locked into her eyes, who would only break eye contact from time to time to kiss her neck.

Jaime started to move a little faster, and would pull his penis out a little more before sliding back in. He had to focus hard to check on her, but also to fight his own urge to go faster. She felt amazing and, since Cersei had been his only partner so far, he couldn't remember was it was to have sex with someone who never had any children. He felt he was ready to explode inside her. He accelerated his pace even more when her moans turned into little screams of pleasure. Suddenly she closed her eyes and threw her back. Jaime felt her clench around him. It was enough for him to set his own orgasm.

"Oh Gods Jaime !" she scream.

He could only answer with his own scream of pleasure "Brienne… Aaaaaah!".

One or two more thrusts inside her, and he let his body rest on hers to recover, planting small kisses in her neck. Brienne had a hard time to catch her breath. The explosion inside her was not like anything she had known before. And the waves of electricity were still running from her belly to her fingers and toes. The contact of Jaime's body on hers and the feeling of him still inside her were prolonging the pleasure. After 3 or 4 minutes like this, he rolled on the side and let himself lay on the soft pillow, watching the ceiling, trying to process his feelings. Never before had sex been that intense for him. Or maybe when he was very young… his first times with Cersei ? No… not even that. Because Cersei was always the one deciding for them both. Not that he needed to dominate but… with Brienne… there was something more. As if the most important thing had been to make this count for her. Be the first time she deserved. He was exhausted but never felt so happy. He turned his head to look at her. She had already turned on her side and was observing him peacefully with wide eyes. She looks different, he thought. As if he could clearly see her feminine side for the first time. Her pale soft skin. The curve of her hip. But mostly those blue eyes. He felt his heart swell. She was looking at him as if he was the most important thing in the world. He turned on his side and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips before letting himself fall asleep again, holding her tight against him.


End file.
